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DARWIN PROPERTIES LTD.
October 22, 2013
District ofNorth Vancouver
355 West Queens Road
North Vancouver, BC
V7N4N5
Attention: Mr. Doug Allan
RE: MODO CAR CO-OP AND CAR2GO AT 1561-1583 OXFORD STREET
As part of our strategy to reduce the need for parking at our project, we have had preliminary
discussions with Modo Car Co-op and Car2Go. Both organizations have expressed interest in
having a presence at our project on Oxford Street.
Modo Car Co-op
~
http://www.modo.coop/what
Modo is a not-for-profit carsharing co-operative that started 16 years ago and has grown to over
8,000 members that share a variety of vehicles at over 200 locations in Metro Vancouver
including several in the City of North Vancouver. Membership in the co-op provides an excellent
environmental and economic mode of transportation along with access to transit passes.
I met with Phil Baudin, Executive Director of Modo, in August who confirmed their interest in
having not one but two vehicles at our Oxford Street project and we have tentatively allowed for
two parking stalls for Modo off the south lane. These stalls would be the "home base" for two
specific Modo vehicles that would get returned there after each use. Modo members, whether
residents of the building or not, would get 24-7 access to these two cars (hence our preference to
locate the stalls off the lane and not underground).
Where Modo cars are incorporated into new developments in the City of Vancouver, the COV
has reduced the development's parking requirements by 5 stalls for each Modo car.
According to Phil Baudin, every Modo co-op car removes 15 vehicles from the road network.
At this time, we have nothing signed with Modo yet pending the DNV's review of this but we
have received Modo's standard form developer agreement and are currently reviewing it.
Car2Go
~
https://www.car2go.com/en/vancouver/
Car2Go, which was introduced in Vancouver in 2011, is another form of car sharing network but,
unlike Modo, it is not station-based. Car2Go vehicles are located throughout the region and can
be accessed "on demand" or reserved for up to 24 hours in advance.
•
l
DARWIN PROPERTIES LTD.
There are approximately 500 Car2Go vehicles in the Vancouver area and they enjoy the benefit
of having dedicated "Car2Go par~ing only" spaces in addition to common on and off street
parking. Refer to the website for dedicated Car2Go parking spaces and the current locations of
their cars. A smartphone application is available that aUows the user to find the closest vehicle
with GPS technology.
Darwin approached Car2Go in July who confirmed their interest in this location although they do
not yet have an agreement for exclusive street parking with the DNV. They require surface level
spots away from large walls for GSM cellular network communication and publically accessible
spots 2417 with no gate or security barriers.
Modo and Car2Go are both revolutionizing the way people commute in urban areas and have
both expressed an interest in being on Oxford Street. We feel that, in combination with other
parking demand management measures listed below, a reduced parking ratio of 0.66/0.72 stalls
per unit is justifiable:
•
Closest building_ to Phibbs Exchange bus station. We anticipate that most occupants of
the building will use transit. As the building's owner who is clearly motivated to provide
sufficient parking for our tenants, we are comfortable with a reduced parking ratio.
•
Over l.l bike storage spaces per unit. Every residential unit will have a place to store
their bikes.
•
Residents will have access to an interim Translink transit pass.
•
The Lower Lynn implementation plan calls for 0.75 stalls per unit for rental housing.
This rental housing will be located adjacent to a transit station where peak demand has
been estimated by MMM at 0.66 cars per unit. If given City of Vancouver credit for the
two Modo car share stalls, the number of parking stalls provided equates to 0.72.
If you have any questions on this topic, please don 't hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
/J.-e• "~~
Brad Howard
Senior Development Manager
D4RWI N
PROPERTIES LTD.
March 3, 2014
Mayor & Council, District ofN01th Vancouver
355 West Queens Road
N01th Vancouver, BC V7N 4N5
RE: OXFORD STREET RENTAL HOUSING APPLICATION
Good evening Mayor and Council.
The application you see before you reflects over tlu·ee years of consultation with District staff and
major community groups including N01th Shore Community Resources, Community Housing
Action Committee, Capilano University, Western Stevedoring, and Translink.
Our proposed rental project is the closest physical property to Phibbs Exchange and represents an
opportunity to construct a transit-oriented development adjacent to the District of North
Vancouver's single largest transit hub which cunently serves over 15,000 passengers per day.
On May 8111 2012, Coriolis Consulting released a report titled Jlfetro Vancouver Purpose-Built
Rental Housing: Inventory and Risk Analysis. In their rep01i Coriolis identified that 97% of the
rental housing stock in the District of North Vancouver is more than 35 years old and estimated
that 93% of existing rental units are at moderate to high risk of redevelopment.
If approved, our project will be one of the first stand-alone purpose-built rental buildings
constructed in the District of North Vancouver since 1979. Our proposed 111 rental units will
increase the rental housing stock in the district of North Vancouver by more than 10%.
While studies have confirmed that purpose built rental housing projects are more affordable than
private condo rentals we are working with BC Housing to establ ish an affordable housing
framework for a number of units in the project. The exact number of affordable units and rental
rates will be established prior to Public Hearing.
We are excited to bring forward an application which meets the objectives of the Official
Community Plan, revitalizes Phibbs Exchange and provides a much needed housing option to the
District of North Vancouver.
Darwin Propetiies Ltd.
#404- 197 Forester Street
North Vancouver, BC V7HOA6
D4RWIN PROPERTIES LTD.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank District staff for their valuable input into our
design and for their assistance in establishing a rental housing policy.
We look forward to receiving council's feedback on our proposal.
President
Encl.
c.c.
Jennifer Paton, Section Manager Development Planning
Darwin Properties Ltd.
#404 - 197 Forester Street
North Vancouver, BC V7HOA6
D4RWIN PROPERTIES LTD.
APPENDIX A
•
Table from Metro Vancouver Pw]Jose-Built Rental Housing Jnventmy and Risk Analysis
(Corio lis, May 20 12):
Rental Buildings in DNV
Year Built
1949 or older
1950 to 1959
1960 to 1969
1970 to 1979
1980 and newer
Total
# of Rental
Buildings
4
5
24
8
1*
42
# of R ental
Units
45
20
830
311
32
1,238
Age
65+ years
55 to 65 years
45 to 55 years
3 5 to 45 years
Up to 35 years
Percentage of
Total Units
3.6%
1.6%
67.0%
25.1%
2.6%
100%
* Polygon ' s Evergreen House constructed as part of the larger " Branches" prOJCCt 111 Lynn Valley
•
Our proposal will be held as rental in perpetuity and, compared to privately-held strata
units, represents a more stable long term form of renta l housing for a workforce that the
District hopes to attract to sustain its economy and for residents it hopes to retain to
support this evolving community.
•
Our project has had to wait for the District's OCP and then for the Lower Lynn Town
Centre plan guidelines to be adopted. It has also awaited emerging District policies on
community amenity contributions, development cost charges, and off-site and on-site
infrastructure considerations. Not all of these well intentioned regulations are easily
applied to a rental proposal that is directly impacted by every on-site and off-site cost and
has to produce housing that is affordable for residents, most of whom cannot afford to
purchase.
•
The proposal is a h·ansit-oriented rental housing development in an emerging town centre
located on Translink's Frequent Transit Network.
•
We have reviewed the draft of the DNV 's proposed amendment to its OCP Regional
Context Statement and note that the project supports each of the 5 Goals of the Regional
Growth Strategy as well as various Strategies:
Darwin Properties Ltd.
#404- 197 Forester Street
North Vancouver, BC V7HOA6
D4RWIN PROPERTIES LTD.
o
Goall Compact Gr·owtb Management- 75%-90% of development directed to
compact town centres,
o
Goal 2 Sustainable Economy - concentrated populations, enhanced transit and
pedestrian access support businesses in centres,
o
Goal 3 Natural Environment & Climate Change - growth is directed to
established urban areas through coordinated land use, transportation and
infrastructure planning to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases.
o
Goal 4 Complete Communities - Jobs, services and amenities are concentrated
in transit supportive centres. A greater diversity of housing types provides
options for a balanced population.
o
Goal 5 Transportation Choice - greater alternatives to the car through transit
supportive settlement patterns and high pedestrian and bicycle design standards.
o
Strategy 1.2.6 b ii - residential growth directed to Centres, including focus on
affordable and rental housing
o
Strategy 1.2.6 b iii - Parking Principles for Centres include reduced parking
standards where warranted by transit service
o
Strategy 4.1.7 a i - encourage family, seniors, rental, affordable, and adaptable
housing relative to specific centres CUITent and future profile
o
Strategy 4.1.7 a iv -parking reductions and financial incentives such as reduced
DCC's considered and applied as an incentive to affordable housing
o
Strategy 4.2.4 b - locate community hubs and affordable housing in transit
accessible areas
Darwin Properties Ltd.
#404- 197 Forester Street
North Vancouver, BC V7HOA6
DA\RWI N
PROPERTIES I CANADA\ LTO.
March 21,2014
District ofNorth Vancouver
3 55 West Queens Road
North Vancouver, BC
Attention:
Mrs. Jennifer Paton
RE: 1568 OXFORD STREET
During the last council meeting I had indicated to council that Darwin was working with BC
Housing to establish an affordable housing framework for a number of units in the project.
I can now confum that BC Housing has completed their internal review of our pro-forma, plans,
and projected rents for the above referenced project and has concluded that 100% of the units in
the project meet BC Housings affordability guidelines. Note: the guidelines were based on Level
1 affordability standards published by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
CMHC Level 1 Affordable Rental Housing Rates
Bachelor
1 Bedroom
2Bedroom
3 Bedroom
$1,000
$1,200
$1,600
$1,755
As you are aware, in May 2008 the Provincial Government enacted new legislation pertaining to
DCC's. The legislative changes include the option for municipalities to exempt or waive DCC' s
for the classes of"eligible development" including "For-profit affordable rental housing".
Given the results of the BC Housing review we are requesting waiver of the Development Cost
Charges in accordance with the Provincial legislation.
BC Housing requires both the rental rates and eligibility requirements to be secw-ed by a housing
agreement which will be in-place for the life of the building.
Please do not hesitate to contact myself or Armin Amrolia (Executive Director of BC Housing)
should you have any questions regarding the affordability guidelines or the BC Housing review
process 604-439-4198.
Oliver Webbe
President
DA\RWIN PROPERTIES LTD.
March 25 , 2014
District ofNorth Vancouver
355 West QueensRoad
North Vancouver, BC V7N 4N 5
Attention:
VIA EMAIL
Mr. Doug Allan, Planner
RE: OXFORD STREET- TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT
Dear Mr. Allan:
Further to our detailed rezoning application for 1561-1583 Oxford Street
(resubmitted December 2014) and Engineering's memo to you dated January 30th,
2014, we wish to provide further details on our proposed Transportation Demand
Management strategy as requested by staff.
The project is rental in nature, located on Translink's Frequent Transit Network
(service every 15 minutes) and is adjacent to Phibbs Exchange; the District's largest
transit station serving well over 15,000 transit riders per day. In addition to being
strategically located where transit service is readily available, we are committed to
further trip reduction approaches, including:
Travel planning
• New residents will receive a move-in package that contains transportation
information including:
o Phibbs Exchange transit station map, bus routes and schedules.
o Introduction to Modo Car Co-op and instructions on how to use the
car-sharing service that will be available exclusively to all residents.
Modo promotional material will be posted in the building.
o Information on how to access car-pooling networks (pickuppal.com,
jack Bell ride-share, etc).
o A bike route map in the Lower Lynn Town Centre
http: //www.dnv.org/upload /pcdocsdocuments /13$wt0 1! .pdf
o An info package from Car2Go. Given the rental nature of the project
and that Lower Lynn is a transportation-focused Town Centre,
Car2Go has expressed interest in having ·a presence on the block so
this will be especially useful if the District will permit dedicated
Car2Go parking on Oxford Street.
o We will be contacting local bike stores Uohn Henry, Deep Cove Bikes,
etc) to see if we can work together on promoting cycling as an
DA\RWI N
PROPERTIES LTO.
alternative form of travel and perhaps including some promotional
material in the move-in package.
o Encourage tenant registration with Translinl(s Travel Smart
program.
o A Phibbs Exchange map, bus schedules and route map will be posted
in a common place in the building (eg mail room, storage room).
o Initial residents will be provided with a 1-month transit pass
Parking pricing
Staff requested more information regarding parking pricing. Parking pricing is
market driven. Revenue from parking is crucial to the economic viability of the
project. Building management will control parking which can be done a number of
ways including maintaining a list of stalls and assigning a resident's license plate
number to them.
Transit passes
Initial residents of the building will be given a one-time 1-month transit pass.
Information will also be posted in the building advising residents how they can
purchase transit passes when that 1 month lapses, or for subsequent residents.
Currently there are 17 Fare Dealers in North Vancouver with the closest being at the
Save-on-Foods at Park & Tilford. This information will be provided to or posted for
residents.
HUB
We will contact Timothy Welsh and ensure residents are given information about
HUB and their programs including Bike to Work Week, Streetwise Cycling Courses,
Workplace Cycling Workshops, Bike to School and Bike Friendly Business.
Bike storage
• Rent for storage lockers is market-driven and is a crucial form of income for
the economic viability of a rental project.
• Residents that do not rent a parking stall will be given priority for storage
lockers on the main floor.
• The lockers will be specified as bike storage so that there will be no
confusion. If you rent a parking stall, you have bike storage in your stall. If
you don't rent a parking stall, you can rent a storage locker for your bike.
• We cannot guarantee that residents won't store other items in their lockers
but the lockers will be specified as bike storage and are to be used as such. If
someone wants to store other items (skis, snowboard, etc.), in addition to
their bike, we have no problem with that.
D4RWIN PROPERTIES LTD.
Proposed pedestrian improvements at off-ramp
• The proposed pedestrian improvements will result in a better pedestrian
experience walking to and from Phibbs. The more friendly experience will
encourage more walking and / or ridershp on transit. Translink's eventual
revitalization of Phibbs Exchange will improve this even more.
Monitoring program
• We agree to providing the DNV with parking occupancy numbers after
completion of the project.
As you know, we are offering to purchase a dedicated co-op vehicle for the exclusive
use of residents of 1561-1583 Oxford Street. The Modo Car Co-op has resulted in
3,000 fewer cars being on the road, and the co-op continues to grow in membership
as car ownership behavior changes. Other jurisdictions have provided a 1:5 parking
stall credit where co-op cars are included as part of the development.
We look forward to continue working with staff to finalize the details of our TDM
strategy.
Yours truly,
Oliver Webbe
President
CC:
Ms. Tegan Smith, District ofNorth Vancouver